Half and Half
by Shadowed Horizon
Summary: Ash finally goes to visit a dear old friend of his. PalletShipping one-shot.


Misty pulled up in front of the cemetery in her blue convertible and waited as Ash got out. He seemed to be mentally preparing himself as he stood in front of the heavy, black iron gates. Misty leaned out of her beloved car and pulled down her sunglasses, examining him.

"Hey, Ash."

He turned around, his face impassive. Misty wasn't fooled, though. They had been friends for so long that she could read the pain he was trying to hide in his wide eyes.

"What, Mist?"

He sounded so defeated, but Misty refrained from getting out and hugging him. Even though she could almost feel the pain radiating off of him, she knew he hated being pitied more than anything else.

"You have my number. Don't forget to call if you need me or Pikachu."

A ghost of a smile flickered on Ash's lips, pressed in a tight line as they were. "Yeah." He watched as she peeled away from the entrance, dust clouds swirling around the tires as they screeched away. When he could no longer see or hear the car, he turned and strode through the gates.

Pikachu had wanted to accompany him, but Ash had told him that this was something he needed to do by himself. Pikachu stubbornly insisted that Ash would need someone to comfort him, but Ash was adamant. Eventually, Misty had intervened and promised to take Pikachu to the supermarket so that she could buy him some more ketchup. Since Ash rarely allowed Pikachu this treat, the Pokémon had jumped at the offer, but shot Ash a look that plainly said, "Next time I'm coming."

Ash was starting to regret not bringing Pikachu along. He had never been fond of cemeteries, walking among all those dead bodies. He nearly gagged at the images that arose and ran to his destination. He carefully squatted down by the plain gray headstone and brushed a finger over the name of his childhood rival. It came away dusty; clearly, it had been a while since anyone had tended to it. Guilt flooded his mind. After all, who could he blame but himself? It had been nearly half a year since the accident and this was only Ash's first visit.

He slipped off the faded green pack that he had always carried around with him and fished out the pink rubber gloves that his mom always stowed there, as well as the cleaning and gardening supplies he had packed. As he pulled on the gloves and slowly scrubbed the headstone clean, he began to speak.

"Hey buddy. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to come and see you. I hope you don't think I'm a terrible person."

He paused and flicked off a clump of dirt, composing himself.

"Yeah, I guess it didn't hit me until recently. And well, I heard back in the winter. I didn't want to come and see you while the...this place was so grimy. It's spring now, your favourite season. So I thought that maybe I'd come and..."

Ash's voice trailed off. He coughed, moved to the back of the stone and continued cleaning.

"I was in the mountains, solo training." He laughed a little, though there was no humour in the sound. "You knew that, of course. You were the first person I told. And you were mad...you didn't talk to me for two days. But I think Brock and Misty and Rudy must have talked to you, because you finally calmed down enough to apologize. I couldn't believe it – Gary Oak, apologizing?" Ash smiled. It vanished in a second.

"I don't remember how long I was in the mountains for. It was the first time in a long while that I was staying alone. I usually had at least a couple people with me. I felt a little nervous, but I figured that I could manage alone, six years after the Silver Conference."

The lump in Ash's throat had grown. He rinsed his sponge with shaky hands and started wiping the soap suds off the headstone. Anything to keep the lump from growing...

"I figured d-dead wr-wrong." The tears burst forth then.

"I missed you, Gary. I don't know how I could have left you alone. I don't know how I could have assumed that you would be okay. I thought that since you were so busy with your research, you wouldn't mind having a bit of peace and quiet. And two days before...the...accident, I left again. I didn't like how arrogant the new trainers from Pallet Town were getting. I didn't like being challenged at every turn, so I packed up and left. I should have told you, or someone. I'm so s-sorry!"

Ash wept. This was harder than he thought. He had a half mind to turn and run away then, but he had more to say and do. After a few minutes, Ash wiped his eyes and spoke again, softly this time.

"When I got the news three weeks later, I was coming back to town for a quick stop to stock up on some supplies. Some researcher I'd never seen before mentioned that a colleague of his had died in a freak accident with his Pokémon. I didn't really pay attention until he mentioned home, and then I knew. I was so tempted to go straight back to the mountains and never come back out. I didn't think a world without you would be worth living in. But Misty had come to find me, so I had to go back with her."

He went quiet for a few minutes, then smiled a little.

"You know, a lot of people thought that Misty and I would end up together. But I think I always knew that it was you. I mean, you inspired me to become a Pokémon Master. You were always a few steps ahead, and I always wanted to beat you. And when you told me that you were giving up battling, I knew that I had to carry on for the both of us."

The grin on Ash's face disappeared, leaving a pained an uncertain look in his eyes. He pulled an object out of his backpack, rolling it over in his hand.

"Have I made you proud, Gary? I'm a Master now, one of the few in the Kanto region. I keep telling fans and reporters that all it takes is inspiration and love, but I never tell them what it is. I think they think I mean the inspiration of having prestige and having a love of Pokémon."

Ash pressed his half of the old Pokéball into the dirt before Gary's headstone, then hesitated.

"I know you've never liked flowers, but I hope you don't mind that I wanted to plant some today. You would probably tell me how girly they are, but..."

He paused to plant the seeds the way Misty had showed him how. After watering them, he continued. "Masterwort symbolizes protection, courage and strength. Are you surprised that I took the time to research it? I guess your habits were rubbing off on me, huh? You were – are – my better half, after all."

A spasm rocked through Ash's legs as he tried to stand up. He noted with surprise the deepening colour of the skies as he grabbed a hold of the stone to support himself. Once the feeling passed, he said, "Like I said, protection. Thanks for everything."

* * *

**A/N**

PalletShipping is so amazing. Can you believe just how much their relationship has evolved since Gen I? I also kinda love NamelessShipping, from _Pokémon Adventures_. Like, love.

So anyway, I was inspired to write this following the scene where Ash gives Gary back half of the Pokéball (just before Ash leaves for Hoenn). I had about a bajillion ideas for a PalletShipping fic and started writing two, one from Gary's perspective and this one. Clearly this won out, I don't even remember where the other one was going.

Thanks for reading :3

-S.H.


End file.
